Chael Sonnen
Chael Patrick Sonnen (pronounced /ˈtʃeɪl ˈsʌnən/; born April 3rd, 1977) is an American former mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently employed by Extreme Wrestling Empire where he is the current EWE Television Champion. Mixed martial arts career Sonnen started his MMA career in 1997 (aged 19) by defeating Ben Hailey in Vancouver, Washington. He next defeated future ICON Sport Middleweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight contender Jason "Mayhem" Miller . He won his first six fights, before losing to Trevor Prangley. In late 2003, he was submitted by future Ultimate Fighter winner and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin with a triangle choke. 'Ultimate Fighting Championship' (2005-2006) Sonnen made his UFC debut in a light heavyweight bout against former IFC Light Heavyweight Champion Renato Sobral at UFC 55, submitting to a second-round triangle choke. He then avenged his first MMA loss, by winning a unanimous decision over Trevor Prangley at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 . At UFC 60 , he fought Jeremy Horn for the third time and submitted to an armbar. Shortly after, he was released from the UFC. '(2009-2012)' After winning several fights outside of the promotion, Sonnen was welcomed back to the UFC by Demian Maia at UFC 95, succumbing to a triangle choke. However, after defeating Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate "The Great" Marquardt successively between 2009 and 2010, Sonnen earned himself a shot at UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Sonnen pushed Silva like no other challenger before him, winning four out of five rounds before getting caught in a triangle armbar at 3:10 in the 5th round. It was around this time that Sonnen began to unveil a more outspoken persona, publicly targeting Brazilian fighters such as Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and Lyoto Machida. Sonnen even went as far as to telling Anderson Silva that he would come over to his house, kick down his backdoor, and pat his wife on the ass to tell her to make him a steak, medium rare "just the way I like it." Sonnen's outspoken nature caught the ire of Silva, and after successful victories over Brian Stann and Michael Bisping, Sonnen found himself in a rematch with Silva at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012. The hype around the fight generated media buzz from all kinds of outlets, and resulted in 925,000 pay-per-view buys; the most in 2012 and the second most all time for a UFC event. Sonnen however would face Anderson Silva's wrath, and after tripping following a failed attempt at a spinning backfist, Silva cracked Sonnen with a knee to the body, forcing referee Yves Lavigne to step in at 1:55 of the 2nd round. Shortly after his second defeat to Silva, Sonnen announced that he would be moving up to Light Heavyweight to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 155 in December. After Griffin was forced to pull out with a leg injury, Sonnen had agreed to step in on just 10 days notice to fight Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones at UFC 151 after training partner Dan Henderson was forced to pull out with an injury of his own. The champion Jones declined this proposal however, and for the first time ever, a UFC event had to be cancelled. Jones instead opted to take a fight with Sonnen set for April 27, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. The two men coached against one another on the 17th season of the hit reality show, The Ultimate Fighter ''between 2012 and 2013. Professional wrestling career 'Extreme Wrestling Empire' '''EWE XPlosion (2013)' On March 19, 2013, Chael Sonnen and UFC President Dana White issued a press conference announcing the "temporary suspension" of Sonnen's UFC contract, allowing him to explore other opportunities outside of the UFC. Also in attendence was EWE Owner Chris Jericho who according to Sonnen, "made him an offer he couldn't refuse." The press conference was broadcasted live on AXS TV's hit program Inside MMA. ''It was here that Sonnen was interrupted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who along with The Undertaker faced Sonnen in a triple-threat match on the March 22 edition of ''XPlosion. Sonnen got caught with a Rock Bottom, but ultimately proved to the fans and The Rock himself that he was more than ready to be a legitimate player in the EWE. Sonnen next caught a red-hot Booker T on the March 29 edition of XPlosion. After being dominated in the early going, Booker T caught a second wind and defeated Sonnen with the Scissors Kick. This would be the last time Sonnen would be seen on XPlosion. EWE Genesis (2013-present) Television Champion On March 23, Sonnen was drafted to the newly reinstated show, Genesis, poised to get back on track. On the very first episode, Sonnen defeated Shelton Benjamin in a Three-Tables match for the EWE Television Championship at Wembley Stadium. The two became friends shortly after their encounter. Sonnen continued his momentum into the debut episode of RPW, where he, Benjamin and Chemical Imbalance defeated Elijah Dinero, Sabu, and the Green Bay Assholes. On April 11, Sonnen debuted his own personal interview segment, "Chael's Corner." It was here that Sonnen first began to call out Elijah Dinero and the Disciples on their gang-like tactics. Sonnen called Dinero a "charlatan," and even announced that Rhino had aligned himself with Sonnen and fellow Genesis crusader Shelton Benjamin. Later that night, Dinero defeated Sonnen in an Extreme Rules match whe the Disciples got involved. Dinero then revealed himself as the true holder of the EWE Television Championship briefcase and attempted to allow fellow Disciple, Jack Evans a chance to cash in on the unconscious Sonnen. Before he was able to, Shelton Benjamin hit the ring and whisked the briefcase away in one fell swoop. Personal Life Sonnen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Oregon. Sonnen ran as the Republican candidate for the 37th district of the Oregon House of Representatives in 2010. In June of that year, he dropped out of the race, vaguely referring to a "2006 legal issue" involving real estate. On January 3, 2011, Sonnen pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection with mortgage fraud. After agreeing to testify against others involved in the investigation, he was fined $10,000 and sentenced to two years probation. A licensed realtor in Oregon, Sonnen, as the agent for a home sale in 2006, told the title company to pay a plumbing company owned by Sonnen's mother for repairs, even though he knew that they would not be carried out. After the mortgage company agreed to the loan, the plumbing company was paid $69,000 and, at Sonnen's direction, paid the home buyer $65,000. In wrestling *'Finishing moves' **Inverted Samoan Drop **Heel Hook *'Signature moves' **Spinebuster **German Suplex **Spinning Belly-to-Belly Su(per)plex **Guillotine Choke *'Tag Teams and Stables' **'The Fantastic and Wonderful Foundation of Single H feat. Kung (with Kung) *'Nicknames **The American Gangster **The People's Champion *'Theme Songs used' **Too Much Fun by Daryle Singletary Championships and accomplishments *'Extreme Wrestling Empire' **EWE Television Champion (1 time, current) Category:Wrestlers